Phrases/words that set your teeth on edge.

[Sir Velo]

Read on the TV listings for "Ray Mears' Close Encounters: Tasmanian Devil" programme: "contains occasional mild language".

What does this mean? That the pervasive tone is "strong language"? Either the programme contains swearing (in which case say so, and stop beating about the bush (pardon the pun) or it doesn't; in which case stop using these hideous euphemisms.

[french frank]

Read on the TV listings for "Ray Mears' Close Encounters: Tasmanian Devil" programme: "contains occasional mild language".

And "Contains swearing" might be more direct that "Contains strong language".

[Beef Oven]

Read on the TV listings for "Ray Mears' Close Encounters: Tasmanian Devil" programme: "contains occasional mild language".

What does this mean? That the pervasive tone is "strong language"? Either the programme contains swearing (in which case say so, and stop beating about the bush (pardon the pun) or it doesn't; in which case stop using these hideous euphemisms.

It means that swearing and foul language is broken up by occasional mild language, after which it's back to the swearing and harsh language.

[Tapiola]

Digging deep (usually in sports commentaries).

e.g. "Andy Murray [or whoever] has had to dig deep in this set...". Makes me apoplectic.

[Richard Tarleton]

Digging deep (usually in sports commentaries).

Taps, shortly after reading your post I found myself reading a piece on improvised comedy in The Times. Phill [sic] Jupitus says: [improv] "...asks more of you. You have to dig deep".

He goes on to say "There's nothing worse than a comedian in their comfort zone" [comfort zone, anybody?] - who could he be talking about?

[Richard Tarleton]

Apologies if this has been mentioned already, but "The following report contains flash photography" gets on my nerves. Every report contains flash photography these days.

[Roehre]

Apologies if this has been mentioned already, but "The following report contains flash photography" gets on my nerves. Every report contains flash photography these days.

and why is Britain the only country which tells us this. There is just as much (if not more) flash photography in Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, but in these countries it isn't mentioned in any way. British people must be more epileptic than people on the continent... (flash photography is said to trigger epileptic fits)

[Tapiola]

Taps, shortly after reading your post I found myself reading a piece on improvised comedy in The Times. Phill [sic] Jupitus says: [improv] "...asks more of you. You have to dig deep".

He goes on to say "There's nothing worse than a comedian in their comfort zone" [comfort zone, anybody?] - who could he be talking about?

Thank you Richard. "Comfort zone". Aaaargggh. And Jupitus himself puts my teeth on edge. A pretentious, obnoxious individual (imo, of course). He was directly behind me at the check-in at Aldergrove airport a couple of years ago. But for the fact that my children were also present, I would have told him that I thought he was a complete kn*b.

Perhaps I need a lie down...

[Tapiola]

(flash photography is said to trigger epileptic fits)

It does indeed.

[MrGongGong]

and why is Britain the only country which tells us this. There is just as much (if not more) flash photography in Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, but in these countries it isn't mentioned in any way. British people must be more epileptic than people on the continent... (flash photography is said to trigger epileptic fits)

I think it's FLESH photography that some object to ?
(or thats how some might say it ! )

[Richard Tarleton]

A whole recent crop of 'em - bestie, bromance, frenemy....the language is being corrupted in leaps and bounds. Totes fed up with it.

[Serial_Apologist]

Swerve: as in "Should David Cameron swerve the Russian Olympic Games to demonstrate his objection to Putin's anti-gay policies?" Swerve?? Why not just say "Not go to"?

[Nick Armstrong]

Apologies if this has been mentioned already, but "The following report contains flash photography" gets on my nerves. Every report contains flash photography these days.

and why is Britain the only country which tells us this. There is just as much (if not more) flash photography in Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, but in these countries it isn't mentioned in any way. British people must be more epileptic than people on the continent... (flash photography is said to trigger epileptic fits)

It's all regulated by Ofcom, innit? See page 14 et seq in this document:

http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/broadcast/guidance/831193/section2.pdf

This elaborates on the basic requirement, set out in para. 2.12 of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code, that:

2.12 Television broadcasters must take precautions to maintain a low level of risk to viewers who have photosensitive epilepsy. Where it is not reasonably practicable to follow the Ofcom guidance (see the Ofcom website), and where broadcasters can demonstrate that the broadcasting of flashing lights and/or patterns is editorially justified, viewers should be given an adequate verbal and also, if appropriate, text warning at the start of the programme or programme item.


Perhaps the UK broadcasting industry is just more solicitous than their European brethren?

[Stanfordian]

Currently the phrases that set my teeth on edge are:

"Let's touch base."

" Blue sky thinking"

These days the only place I hear the phrase "Not at all" is on Radio 4 especially 'The Archers' which is peppered with it.

[DracoM]

Iconic